Montag

There are great news in the present and future of Montag.

Version 0.8 will have a lot of new features: for major information you can take a look here and here.

However, the development process will take some time.

So, for those who cannot wait for the final stable version, or want to test the new features, a certain number of development snapshots will be available in the download section.
They will not be documented: information and support will be provided only through the news section of the Montag Sourceforge page and mailing list.
Moreover, some features and behaviours may change in the development process, so use them at your own risk.

A first development snapshot is already available (here), with the following changes and features:

• New ListService service.
• New XQueryService service.
• QueryService service renamed in XPathService.
• New result-set structure.
• Document/literal style adoption, following the WS-I Basic Profile recommendations.
• Update to Axis 1.2.1.

Have a nice test!

Montag is a Java Web Services based system for the interaction with every Native XML Database that supplies a Java implementation of the XML:DB API.
So, it's a middleware which permits heterogeneous SOAP-enabled clients, written for different platforms in different languages, to operate over XML databases.

If you want to use a Native XML Database, you will not be bound to a particular client, nor to a particular language for developing your client.
Thanks to Montag Web Services, every client will be able to:

• Create and remove collections of XML documents.
• Add XML documents to the database.
• Remove XML documents from the database.
• Retrieve XML documents from the database.
• Query a single document or a collection of documents through XPath and XQuery languages.
• Modify a single document or a collection of documents without retrieving them, through the XUpdate language.

Simply using XML and SOAP.

Moreover, you can use Montag to expose to the network a subset of database operations, like document retrieving, querying and so on: simply deploy only the appropriate web services, making them publicly available.

Here are the major advantages you gain using Montag:

Interoperability

Thanks to the SOAP-based Web Services architecture, every client in every language can operate over XML Databases knowing only how to interact with Montag through the SOAP protocol: today, SOAP is a major standard implemented in almost every modern language and you will be able to simply write your SOAP client; no need to use the XML:DB API or to make RPC calls.

Flexibility

The Montag Web Services architecture is highly decoupled: every service is independent from the others and implement a set of operations of the same type. So, you can choose to deploy only a restricted set of Montag services, or even to use the Montag services in conjunction with services of another software... this is the Web Services world!

Database Independence

The XML:DB API act as a common set of interfaces for operating over XML Databases: so you can use different databases which implement this set of API, without changing your code.

Fully featured operations

Every implemented operation conforms to the XML:DB "protocol": so, operating with Montag services is like operating directly over the XML database.

Ease of use

Montag Web Services are powerful, but using them is simple and straightforward.

Montag is a new-born project and is under deep development.
However, its releases are stable and fully working.

For more information over XML Databases, the XML:DB Initiative and all the story, please refer to the Links page.

Montag is an Open Source project, so you can contribute in several ways:

• Software improvements, writing new code or modifying the existing one.
• Documentation improvements.
• Software and documentation errors reports.
• Software testing, especially the interaction between Montag and non-Java clients.
• Suggestions, ideas, and every other sort of feedback and contribution.

So, for feedback and contributions, please use the forums, the mailing list, or send me an e-mail, putting the word Montag in the subject, at sb_tourist@tin.it.